Valedictory Reflections on Digital Transformation in HEIs | Prof. Pankaj Mittal | Digii100 2025

Описание: In this video, Prof. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities, delivers a thoughtful and experience-backed valedictory address on the theme of Viksit Bharat through digital transformation and technology.

Drawing from national policy, institutional practice, and lived experience within India’s higher education ecosystem, she underscored that the vision of a developed India is inseparable from meaningful digital transformation. She reflected on how the National Education Policy formally acknowledged this reality, placing technology, digital platforms, and AI at the core of educational reform.

Recounting the sector’s rapid shift during the COVID-19 period, she highlighted how teachers and institutions were compelled to adopt online teaching at scale—revealing both the possibilities and the gaps in preparedness. From early digital initiatives to the widespread adoption of platforms like SWAYAM, she traced how the crisis accelerated acceptance, while also reinforcing that technology alone is insufficient without capacity building and training for educators.

Addressing the rise of artificial intelligence in education, Prof. Mittal spoke candidly about concerns around assessment and academic integrity, while offering practical, real-world examples of how AI can be used constructively—to deepen learning, enable personalised education in large classrooms, and improve evaluation through analytics-driven feedback. She emphasised that the quality of teaching ultimately determines whether AI becomes a shortcut or a learning enabler.

She further stressed three foundational requirements for leveraging technology at scale: continuous capacity building of teachers, robust digital infrastructure with adequate bandwidth, and frequent curriculum revision in response to rapidly shrinking knowledge cycles—particularly in engineering and technology disciplines.

A pragmatic and forward-looking valedictory reflection, this address offers valuable insights for education leaders, university administrators, policymakers, and faculty members working to responsibly integrate technology and AI into teaching, learning, governance, and research—towards realizing the larger vision of Viksit Bharat.